Ignition system for explosion-engines.



. N0. 858,928. PATEN'TED JULY 2, 190'; R. VARLEY.

IGNITION SYSTEM FOR EXPLOSION-ENGINES.

APPLIOATION nmzn APR.5,1907.

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E. VARLEY. IGNITION SYSTEM FOR EXPLOSION ENGINES.

: APPLICATION FILED APB. 5,1907.

PATENTED JULY 2, 1907,

2 SHBET8-SEEBT 2.

1 cascadeof-sparks is desired at the plugs of the second- P TENTa F I Ej 1 yIe rrroN's rsT EM'EoR EXPLOSION-ENGINES.

. noissaeas,

' county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and'useful Improvements in lgnition Systems for Explosion-Engines, of which the following is a full, clear,*and exact description.

My invention relates to .ignition systems for explosion engines, particularly of thattype having batteries as'a'source' of the ignition current, and in which 3.

arycircuit for thehighest; as wellv asordinary, engine speeds, 'a'nd as long as the batteryhasstrength to produce 'a spark at all.

Theordi'nary arrangement is to have a coil oraseries 'of coils with adjustable vibrators or tremblers so as to 7 causean intermittent rupture of the primary circuit and produce the torrent or cascade of sparks required.

This works satisfactorily under ordinary conditions, but itis found that the vibrators stick or fail to act at the highest engine speeds. This is due to several causes, among them the fact that,the duration of the circuit closure'is insufficient to energize the coils to the point where they'will attract the trembler armatures. Even the single circuit rupture'of the. usual circuit controller or timer does not producea spark because the usual condenser ac'ross the vibrator contacts is short circuited'and ineffective when the vibrator or tremblerfails to act. Thislatter difficulty has been partly overcome by the use or a second condenser, but it is evident that in the latter case only a single spark, and not a torrent of sparks, is obtained at the high speeds. v

In carrying-out my invention I'prov'ide means to secure the intermittent' primary circuit rupture across a condenser-at thdhighest enginespeeds so as to get the torrent or cascade of sparks required, but in carrying out my invention I do not dis'turb'the usual arrangementand normal operation of the vibrator coils which is found to'be thernost satisiactory under ordinary conditions in normal running. In addition to providing for a. "torrentorcascade of sparks'at -the high speeds, the present invention secures a still further and very important iunctionin getting some-additional' workout of -a battery after it has been used to the point where it is too weak to operate with a normal apparatus. This not only is a gain in economy by v reason of the greater mileage obtainable, but is even more important, since it furnishes a way of getting to :atstation' 'or destination should the batteries become exhausted unexpectedly during a trip. As 'the ex I I Letters A i Application,filed April5,1907. SerialNo.366,461.

Wires [Hand 1 effective to furnish the ignition after they haveceascd to operate in the normal working of the apparatus.

nieni'nn vigor/Mfr)? ENQLEWOO'D, NE JERSEY, ASSIGNOB 'TO THE AUTOCOI'LOOMPANY,

' roonron rron OE'NEWJE I This feature, like the first .rncntioned one, .is accomplished withoutdisturbing the ordinary and normal action of the ignition system in ordinary running; In-

asrnuch as the greater part'of ordinary running is done with undischarged batteries and moderate speeds, I regard the last named feature as a very important one in the invention.

So far as I am aware, all devices hitherto used forinsuring a cascade or torrent discharge, notwithstanding high speeds and weak battery, have interfered with, or dispensed'entirely with, the usual functions and features of trembler coils in'which the intermittent primary current is-ob'tained by the necessarily pulsating magnetization of the usual cores. By reasonof its greater economy, this standard operation is the best where it is operative. By r'nypresent invention" I make use of it as long. as it isoperative, and only employ the apparatus which causes the sy s tcm to work in a different and special way when the usual or standard arrangement for any reason failsto workproperly.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showing the circuits and arrangements oi parts of an ignition system embodying the principles'of my invention; and Fig. 2 is an end view of the coil of a slightly modified arrangement where only a single coilv is used.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the same. i

Referring to the drawings in which like parts are designated by the same reference sign, 0 and 0 denote ordinary tremblcr or vibrator coils, of which the usual.

vibrators with their condensers are shown at v and 11 For reasons which will later appear these vibrators may be made without any adjusting screws.

D is a circuit controller. or timer which closes the, primary circuits of the coils C and C at the proper I intervals to secure the-desired ignitionfi For this purpose the circuit controller has segments 1 and 2,: which connect with the primaries of coils C! and.C through coils O and C are joined to acommo'n wirem, which under certain circumstances is put in permanent .con-

The other sides of the primariesof the nection with a battery Y Under these circumstances the trembler coils C and C actin the usual and, stand ard way, producing a cascade discharge in their secondary circuits at the intervals when their circuits are closed by the circuit controller D. These features up to this point constitute the ordinary and well known arrangement of a trembler coil ignition system, and in themselves do not constitute a part of my invention.

The means by which the system is caused toact iii a special way, under special or abnormal conditions, is

as follows: I provide, a supplemental or auxiliary vibrator V, having aiiiagnet 3, with its two poles acting on a pair of spring blade armatures fl and 5; These armatures have a common connection with a battery B, through the wire 6, and the metallic yoke 7 which also serves as the frame or support therefor. The arms.- ture 4 together with the niaguet 3 constitutes the vibrator proper since this armature is the one which govliable to get out of step or synchronism with one another and give trouble.

8 and 9 are blades of a switch Sand movable in unison by connecting link 10. These blades are adapted to move together into any one of three positions denominated LII and III respectively. There are two con- ,tacts 11, and 12, of which 11 is engaged only by the blade Sat position I, and blade 9 at positions I and II. Contact point 11 is grounded and contact point 12 is joined to the wire m. The spring blade 9 has a wire connection at, with a vibrator contact 14, of the armature 5. Spring blade. 8 is connected by a wire 0,

through the magnet 3, tola vibrator contact 15, of the armature .4. It is obvious that these specific details of the switch and its connections with the vibrator armatures are merely a practical plan for carrying out the invention, and may be modified in many respects 7 without departing from the principles thereof.

The operation is as follows: Under normal running conditions such as ordinarily occur, the switch blades 8, 9, are at the position II. In this position the circuit oi the magnet 3 is not completed since the switch blade 8 does not rest on any contact. The armature 5 is therefore not attracted and current is free to flow uninterruptedly from the battery B, through armatore-5, contact 14, wire n, spring blade 9, and wire m, to the coils, and. circuit controller in'the normal, and stahdard way, as has already been described. The cascade or torrent of sparks is secured by the usual tremblers o and v of the coils, which. are the most economical means of obtaining this result. Under these circumstances the auxiliary vibrator V does not come into action at -all. The auxiliary vibrator V is not intended te -come into action until the usual tremblers v and v'- iailto act. The usual tremblers will sometimes failto act at excessively high speeds and sometimes by reason of weakness of the battery, In

either case the trouble is at once remedied byai anipulating the switch S to one or another of the positions I and III. For example, supposing the tremblers 1/, e ,-of the usual coils fail to act by reason of insulticient charging period due to high engine speed. This is a common occurrence and causes failure of the igniting spark, since the primary circuit is not broken acrosscondens ers. Under .these circumstances the switch S is moved into position I. This closes an entirely separate circuit from the battery B, through the vibrator armature 4, contact 15, magnet 3, wire 0,

blade 8, contact pointll, to ground. Theenergizacuit is interrupted by movement of the armature 5 at the point 14. Accordingly the primary ignition circuit is intermittently broken across a special condenser K, notwithstanding the fact that the usual vibrators 1) and '0' fail to be attracted, or-stick against their contacts. As the auxiliary vibrator operates constantly under the above conditions, it is evident that the intermittent rupture of the primary circuit is secured, no matter how high the speed of the engine, or how briei the primary current dwell under the influence of the circuit controller D. Of course it is true that there is a somewhat higher current consumption under these circumstances, but this special operation is in the nature of an emergency remedy for a condition which otherwise disables the system. As soon as the car slows down to normal speed, the switch S is thrown back to position II.

At any time it is liable to happen that the batteries become so much worn down or exhausted that the usual vibrators v and o fail to act. This disables the ignition system, notwithstanding the fact that the batteries have strength enough to secure the ignition if the primary circuit closure could' be intermittently.

broken across condensers in any way whateveia. Under these circumstances the switch S may be thrown t9 position 111. A new circuit is thereby formed ironi the battery B, through wire 6, armature 4, contact 15, magnet 3, wire 0, blade 8, contact 12 and wire m through the usual primary circuit already described. As the vibrators v and v are assumed not to act at this time by reason of the weak current, the only place where the primary circuit is intermittently broken, is at the contact 15, under the influence oi the magnet 3. The magnet 15 is, however, made to act under very much weaker current conditions than the usual vibrators 1; and v The intermittent primary break across condenser .K is accordingly obtained as long as the battery has strength enough to be of any service at all. Position III oi the switch S is therefore a special or emergency condition only used when the batteries are so much exhausted as to be otherwise inefiective. This last feature of the inventionl consider an important one in practice, because it enables a car to get to any destination within reasonable distance, notwithstanding the unexpected exhaustion of the batteries during the trip. It also is economical because it gets a certain addition-.11 mileage out of the battery after the time when it would be thrown away by ordinary usage. i g

A further icature oi the invention lies in the characteristic by which the coils G, C may be originally adjusted to vibrate properly and there-alter permanently fixed in such adjustment or all time. The initial adjustment is made so that the coils receive a definite current, less than that liable toiuse the trernbler contacts under any circumstan es. Under these conditions, and with the tremblers or vibrators sealed up to exclude dust and moisture, there is no reason why the coils should ever need attention and they may be packed away in any convcnientplace in a motor vehicle without the usual necessity oi having it accessible.

This is impractical with an ordinary systembecause.

under special conditions,-.whic'h have been above ;referred'to, it is necessary dosomething to get ignition when the coils cease to'operatein the regular and normal u'se. In an ordinary system there is nothing-to do but increasethe current by screwing down'the usual coil vibrators a little harder or some similar manipulation thereof which must be provided for in the construction of the mechanism. 'But by the present invention all of the special cond itionsare taken care of by the auxiliary vibrator and this may be made with an adjustment if desired. When conditions arise that cause the temporary failure of the ignitionsystem the trouble is taken care of by tlieuse of the switch S and the amtiliary vibrator and there is nofneed" of changing the usual coil vibrator adjustments under any circumstances. They may accordingly be sealed up if desired.

In Fig. 2 I have showna form of the invention where only a single coil is employed with a distributer for a multiple cylinder engine. In this case it is not necessary to have an entirely separate 'and auxiliary vibrator of the form shown in Fig. 1. O indicates the coil,

7 and in place of the usual vibrator armature there is provided a rather long vibrator 16, 'which is not only acted on by the core of the usual coil C but is adapted to be attracted by one pole of a U -shaped electromagnet 17. The other pole of the electro magnet 17 attracts a separate vibrator armature 18. 19 and 20 are the respective contacts of the two vibrator armatures 16, and 18. H is an ordinary form of circuit controller or timer adapted to intermittently ground a primary circuit wire p of the coils O The secondary of the coil O runs to aspark plug or a secondary distributor X. S isfa switch in a ground connection from the electromagnet 17, The other terminal of the electromagnet is connected to the vibrator contact 20, through wire 21.

The other primary terminal 1) of the coil C is connected to the vibrator contact 19. .Battery B is joined to a single metallic yoke connection 22 of the armatures 16 and 18. The operation of this form of the invention is as follows: Under normal conditions, the switch S is open and current flows from battery B, through yoke 22, armature 16, vibrator 19, wire 39, primary of coil C wire p, where the circuit is intermittently grounded and completed by the circuit-controller H. The coil therefore acts in the normal manner of a trembler coil and produces a cascade discharge in the secondary. The armature 18 is not attracted under these circumstances. If it now becomes necessary to attain a high speed, sohigh that the primary circuit closure is not suflicient to permit the'attractionof'thearmature 16, the switch S is closed, so that a dividedcircuit is produced from the battery 13, through the armature 18, vibrator contact 20,-wire 21, magnet 17, to ground. As this circuit is continuously' closed,'the magnet 17 will also insure the continuous vibration of the armature 16 so that there will be a cascadedischarge at the periods of primary circuit closure under the influence of the usual circuit controller H. The armature 16 vibrates continuously whenever the switch S is closed so as to put magnet 17in the circuit. This is bccausethecir-' cuit through magnet 17 thus closed is entirelyseparate and independent of the circuit controller H. The

magnet'l7 is energized. in a pulsating manner on account of the vibrator contact 20 and the pulsating magnetization produces a continuous vibratory movement" of the armature 16. The spark cascade is therefore secured immediately'after the primary circuit of the ya-;

movement f vibration. ,This sejcuresaceuratefiring at thehighest enginespeeds.

WhatI'claimis: I "1. ln 'an ignltion s'y stem ior explosion engines, a coil ha'vinga' tremblei," or vibratoifan add ltional or auxiliury vibrator coil, and' means for connecting and disconnecting said auxiliary vibrator coll to operate in said primary cir- '2. In an ignition s'ystem for explosion engines, a coil heviug'a trembler or vibrator; in its primary clrcuit a n addltional or auxlliaryyibrat and" dlscoiin'ecting saidflauxi vibrator coil to operate continuously, and means operat by'saidlauxihary .vlbra tor coil for interrupting said primary circuit in unison therewith. I i

In an ignition system for explosion englnes, a coil having a trembler or vibrator in its primary circuit, an ad Iitional or auxiliary vibrator coil, means operated by said auxiliary vibrator coil for intermittently interrupting said primary circuit, and means for discontinuing the operation of the auxiliary vibrator-coil when desired.

4. In an ignition system for e .ploslon engines, a plurality of coils having tremblers or vibrators in their primary circuits, an auxiliary vibrator coil, and means for connecting said auxiliary vibrator coil in series or multiple with said primary circuits, and means actuated by said auxiliary vibrator coll for interrupting said primary circuits when said vibrator coil is in series therewith.

having vibrators or tremblers in their primary circuits, an additional or auxiliary vibrator coil in a multiple circuit tor coll for interrupting said primary circuits independently of the usual vibrators or tremblers.

6. In an ignition system for explosion engine's, cells having vibrators or tremblers in their primary circuits,. an additional or auxiliary vibrator coil in a series circuit with said coils and means operated by said auxiliary vibrator cell for interrupting said primary circuits independently of the usual vibrators or tremblers.

7. In an ignition system for explosive engines, coils additional or auxiliary vibrator coil in a multiple circuit with said coils, means operated by said auxiliary vibrator coil for interrupting said primary circuits independently of the usual vibrators or ti'ernblers, and means for discontinuing said auxiliary vibrator coil.

8. In an ignition system for explosion engines, coils having vibrators or tremble'rs in their primary circuits, an

parallel therewith, and meansoperated by said auxiliary vibrator doll for interrupting the primary circuits.

, 9: In an ignition system for explosion engines, coils having ti-emblei-s or vibrators in their primary circuits, an additional or auxiliary vibrator coil having two armatures, one of said arnniturcscontrolling the said auxiliary vibrator coil and the other operating to interrupt said primary circuits. I

having tremblei's or vibrators in their primary circuits, an additional or auxiliary vibrator coil having two armatures,

circuits, andmeans for discontinuing said auxiliary vibrator coil when desired.

11. In an ignition system for explosion engines, a coil ditional or auxiliary vibrator coil having two armatures, one of which is adapted to operate the vibrator coil, and means for includingeither of said armatures in the primary circuit of said coil.-

l '12. In an ignition system for explosion engines, a coil having a vibrator oi trembler in its primary circuit, infill} rious .coils-is closed 'by'means of the circuit controller- H, without waiting'for the armature H' totakefup' coil, means for, connecting with said coils and means operated by said auxiliary vlbraauxiliary vibrator coil adapted 'to be, placed in series or one of said armatures controlling the said auxiliary vibra- .tor coil and the other operating to interrupt said primary having a vibrator or trembler in its primary circuit, an ad- 5. In an ignition system for explosion engines, coils having vibrators or tremblers'in -their primary circuits, an

. 10. In an ignition system for,explosion englnes, coils ditionai or auxiliary vibrator coil, and means operated by said auxiliary vibrator coil for acting in lieu of the usual pulsating magnetization of the coil, for causing an intermittent primary circuit rupture thereof.

13. In an ignition system for explosion :engines, a.c'oii having a trembier or vibrator in its primary circuit, an additional or auxiliary vibrator armature, a magnet acting on said armature, means for including said magnet in shunt or series with said primary circuit, an additional means operated by said magnet for interrupting the primary circuit when said magnet is in multiple therewith.

14; in an ignition system for explosion engines, coils having vibrators or tremblers in their primary circuits, an additional or auxiliary vibrator coil having two armatures, one having a slower period of vibration than the other and controlling the auxiliary vibrator coil and the other operating to interrupt said primary circuits.

15. In an ignition system for explosion engines, coils see, 928

having tremblers or vibrators in their primary circuits, an

additional or auxiliary vibrator coil having two armuturcs one of which is longer and heavier than the other so as to have a-slower'peniod of vibration said armature controlling the auxiliary vibrator coil, the other armature operatiug to interrupt said primary circuits.

16. In'an ignition system for explosion engines, coiie having non-adjustable tremblers or vibrators in their primary.circnits,an additional or auxiliary vibrator coil, and means for =puttlngsuch auxiliary vibrator coil in the primary circuits of said first mentioned coils when it is desired to obtain a hotter ignition spark.

In witness whereof, I subscribe my signature, in the presenceof two witnesses.

- RICHARD VARLEY.

. Witnesses:

\VALDO M. Cmn'm, MAY 131m). 

